If you’re a Swing Blue Alliance/Swing Left Greater Boston volunteer and want to get more involved, consider becoming a host! With guidance and support from Swing Blue Alliance, hosts organize phone banks and postcard events for their personal networks –, friends, family, neighbors, and more. It’s easy to get involved — join us to make a big impact as a Swing Blue Alliance host!
“Being a host for Swing Blue Alliance has been a tremendously rewarding experience for me,” says Barry Perlman. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. I can’t sit back and do nothing! Distributing postcards is something I can do.”
The hosts are crucial to the success of Swing Blue Alliance/Swing Left Greater Boston (SBA/SLGB). They expand our network of volunteers, increase the impact of our campaigns, and affect real change in our country.
As a host, you can maximize your impact by helping us reach more people than ever before. As host, Reena Freedman says, “The best part about being an SBA/SLGB host is extending the impact that I can have as an individual. By myself, I could reach maybe 50 people with postcards, but as a host, I can reach hundreds, even thousands of people.”
What Swing Blue Alliance/Swing Left Greater Boston Hosts Do – and Why It’s Important
Swing Blue Alliance/Swing Left Greater Boston hosts focus on three key areas:
Organizing Postcard writing events:
Make a difference now by hosting post carding events!
Postcard writing events are another effective voter outreach method we use at Swing Blue Alliance. Hosts recruit volunteers to join us in writing postcards to key swing states. Hosts put together their own postcard events to ensure as many postcards are being written and mailed out as possible. To put on a postcard event, hosts order postcards from our online E-store, generate necessary labels, and organize the postcards so individuals can pick them up.
In 2021, postcarding efforts also are a key part of our strategy with Common Cause to get S1 passed. Our host networks have mailed thousands of postcards to encourage residents in swing states to call their senators and express their support of the For the People Act:
- 117,600 postcards to Arizona, West Virginia, and New York
- 58,000 postcards to New Hampshire
- 55,500 postcards to Maine
Our postcard hosts have led this incredibly important S1 campaign this summer, and we are all committed to doing everything it takes to pass the For the People Act. Every postcard helps, so please consider working with us on the S1 campaign! The Senate will take up S.1 when it reconvenes in September. Let’s keep up the pressure so there’s a favorable outcome. Learn more about how to get involved on our For the People resources page.
Leading phone banking:
Phone banking allows us to reach out to a large number of potential voters. Hosting a virtual phone bank is an easy process at SBA/SLGB: We provide hosts with training and give them flexibility on the time and dates that work for them. Gina Mosca had an amazing experience as a phone bank host for the Swing Blue Alliance campaign supporting Joe Biden in 2020: “Swing Left Greater Boston was a great support system and partner for me as I hosted phone banks for the Biden campaign from May 2020 through get -out -the -vote. Their platform gave me some of the same tools a field organizer would have, including Mobilize, so I could manage my calendar and volunteers. Swing Left Greater Boston basically empowered me to be a part-time field organizer in 2020!”In 2021, we’ve partnered with Common Cause to pass S1, the For the People Act, a bill that aims to end voter suppression in the US. Phone banking volunteers reach out to voters in key states to urge their representatives to support this important legislation. Want to get involved? Sign up for a phone bank training session to help us pass S1.
Canvassing:
Canvassing enables our hosts to create a more personal connection with constituents through of direct, in-person contact. For potential voters, this kind of interpersonal conversation can encourage them to go to the polls. As vaccinations increase and safety protocols are updated, we look forward to continuing this important canvassing work in key swing states.
You can host your own canvassing trip and reach people across the country who may be hesitant to vote or seek change.
These actions connect Swing Blue Alliance to more people and show the importance of making our voices heard through voting and reaching out to our elected representatives. Hosts are the foundation of Swing Blue Alliance, and we would love you to join our powerful and growing team!
Become a Swing Blue Alliance/Swing Left Greater Boston Host!
Ready to get started? Check out the links below to learn more.
Phonebanking
- Host a virtual event: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dFvbTOTm5MLfL3EucNYpnHoCdhr5HIPck3p5zeWbWIc/edit
- Request a virtual phone bank training session: https://airtable.com/shrzr3XaTb3D5eaWs
- Full virtual phone bank guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FxJ-yB6GkQ7hAgo20SluOqHM-KMvYCGmySUEFxl_FQc/edit#
Canvassing
- Host a canvassing trip: https://swingbluealliance.org/host-canvassing-trip/
Postcarding
- Host a virtual For the People Postcard event: https://swingbluealliance.org/host-an-s-1-postcard-distribution-event/
- https://swingbluealliance.org/help-floridians-register-to-vote-by-mail/
Being a host can be an invaluable experience for individuals looking to make a real difference in our society. Our hosts do so much for us: they connect us to their network, they organize and plan postcard events, phone banks, and canvassing trips, and they encourage and support our volunteers throughout the year. We are grateful for their commitment to Swing Blue Alliance, and we are excited to welcome new hosts this year!
Abigail Gallagher is a rising sophomore at Boston College. She focuses on communications, social media, and data analysis as a Summer 2021 Swing Blue Alliance intern. In collaboration with Sarah Pascarella and Richard Segan, she contributes to copywriting efforts for blog posts, emails, and newsletters.